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Po-Po is a Sometimes Friend
Feb. 16th, 2009 05:07 pm[This is something I went into last night over dinner. Bonnie thought it was important so I thought I'd record it here.]
Being married to a defense attorney has been an eye-opening experience for me. I have learned a certain amount about the law (I'm pretty sure I know enough to be dangerous) and a certain amount about how the legal system operates (which is very different from knowing the law). I've also absorbed a certain amount about specific cases; while Bonnie is very careful not to breach client privilege, I do hear a lot of post-mortems and analysis regarding trials.
This has affected my outlook regarding the law in a very real way. Most importantly, I'm a lot less inclined nowadays to trust in the police and the district attorneys who prosecute criminals. Pre-Bonnie, I would definitely have described myself as a law-and-order type; given a situation where I must trust the word of a cop versus the word of your average Joe on the street, I would have picked the cop every time. Nowadays it's not so clear. I describe it thusly:
Cookie Monster, that beloved Sesame Street figure of yore, has changed a lot over time. It used to be that Cookie Monster would gobble down cookies as a kind of physical manifestation of gluttony. If you saw Cookie Monster, and you saw a cookie, you knew that sooner or later the cookie was going to be gobbled by Cookie Monster, along with the plate more often than not. But things have changed in the Sesame Street universe, and Cookie Monster does not always gobble cookies with such gusto. The child psychiatrists who consult for the program must have decided that in this age of lousy eating habits and obese children, monsters who MUST EAT COOKIE are not welcome. On Sesame Street nowadays, Cookie Monster shows moderation when it comes to cookies. He doesn't gobble them, spraying crumbs everywhere; he takes one or two. He never consumes plates. There is no more MUST EAT COOKIE; nowadays cookies are a 'Sometimes Food'.
Similarly, things have changed regarding my view of Po-Po. Po-Po, the universal manifestation of the police officer, is a sometimes friend. When somebody has stolen your crap, or is threatening your friend's life, or is otherwise screwing with you in a non-law-abiding way, Po-Po is a pretty good friend. You should call him up. "Po-Po," you should say in a polite and respectful manner, "somebody is fucking with me." "That's terrible!" Po-Po will reply sympathetically. He will take down the details and go to work. Sometimes Po-Po will do good things for you. Sometimes he won't, but he'll usually try. That's all you can ask a friend to do.
But Po-Po is not always your friend. Supposing you are driving down the street one night. You are minding your own business. You are driving fine and harming nobody. You have had a drink at dinner, but you are most assuredly not drunk. You may have some booze on your breath, but that doesn't mean anything. Along you go, when suddenly, out of the blue, you see police lights flashing in your rear view mirror. A cop is pulling you over.
Is Po-Po your friend?
No. Right now, ( Po-Po is not your friend. )
Being married to a defense attorney has been an eye-opening experience for me. I have learned a certain amount about the law (I'm pretty sure I know enough to be dangerous) and a certain amount about how the legal system operates (which is very different from knowing the law). I've also absorbed a certain amount about specific cases; while Bonnie is very careful not to breach client privilege, I do hear a lot of post-mortems and analysis regarding trials.
This has affected my outlook regarding the law in a very real way. Most importantly, I'm a lot less inclined nowadays to trust in the police and the district attorneys who prosecute criminals. Pre-Bonnie, I would definitely have described myself as a law-and-order type; given a situation where I must trust the word of a cop versus the word of your average Joe on the street, I would have picked the cop every time. Nowadays it's not so clear. I describe it thusly:
Cookie Monster, that beloved Sesame Street figure of yore, has changed a lot over time. It used to be that Cookie Monster would gobble down cookies as a kind of physical manifestation of gluttony. If you saw Cookie Monster, and you saw a cookie, you knew that sooner or later the cookie was going to be gobbled by Cookie Monster, along with the plate more often than not. But things have changed in the Sesame Street universe, and Cookie Monster does not always gobble cookies with such gusto. The child psychiatrists who consult for the program must have decided that in this age of lousy eating habits and obese children, monsters who MUST EAT COOKIE are not welcome. On Sesame Street nowadays, Cookie Monster shows moderation when it comes to cookies. He doesn't gobble them, spraying crumbs everywhere; he takes one or two. He never consumes plates. There is no more MUST EAT COOKIE; nowadays cookies are a 'Sometimes Food'.
Similarly, things have changed regarding my view of Po-Po. Po-Po, the universal manifestation of the police officer, is a sometimes friend. When somebody has stolen your crap, or is threatening your friend's life, or is otherwise screwing with you in a non-law-abiding way, Po-Po is a pretty good friend. You should call him up. "Po-Po," you should say in a polite and respectful manner, "somebody is fucking with me." "That's terrible!" Po-Po will reply sympathetically. He will take down the details and go to work. Sometimes Po-Po will do good things for you. Sometimes he won't, but he'll usually try. That's all you can ask a friend to do.
But Po-Po is not always your friend. Supposing you are driving down the street one night. You are minding your own business. You are driving fine and harming nobody. You have had a drink at dinner, but you are most assuredly not drunk. You may have some booze on your breath, but that doesn't mean anything. Along you go, when suddenly, out of the blue, you see police lights flashing in your rear view mirror. A cop is pulling you over.
Is Po-Po your friend?
No. Right now, ( Po-Po is not your friend. )
